Kevin72:I do not deny this global warming. I do not deny too much carbon dioxide is bad and tree deforestation is worse.

My issue is with the greenhouse gas theory. It does not explain global warming on other planets. Global warming could also be caused by changes in the sun's magnetosphere becoming weaker, the sun becoming quadripolar, and other cosmic forces that we earthlycentric people are not fully knowledgeable of.

Galileo seeing "ears around Saturn" and moons belonging to Jupiter was a mere 400 years ago, but back then they were convinced that the earth was the center and end all and be all of the universe and put Galileo on trial for saying that the earth moved.

Does it need to? Venus had a runaway climate shift probably billions of years ago, Mars lost its atmosphere and has been at the mercy of the solar winds for billions also. Changes in climate might be caused by a myriad of factors, we just have to focus on what is responsible for our issues. We had a stable atmosphere with (to our perspective) very gradual changes in climate over eons, but now when we pump out greenhouse gasses we see the climate shift in years, not millenia. As far as I'm aware the only time something has happened on a comparable time scale on earth has been after a cataclysmic event, such as massive meteor impact, or massive volcanic eruption. Both of which are characterised by the ejection of vast swathes of 'stuffs' into the atmosphere, interfering with the way sunlight gets in and out, thus affecting the temperatures of the planet.

If archaeologists can identify Roman strata based on atmospheric lead levels caused by their industry, mainly the Rio Tinto mines in Southern Spain, and even the earliest agricultural activities several thousand years ago can be identified in paleo-atmospheric changes, doesn't that make it seem rather plausible to think that the masses of gasses we emit from cars and industry globally could have a significant effect on the climate?

I'm not some radical eco-warrior who'd call for an end to industry and mass transit. I'm just frustrated that this was a problem identified decades ago and something could have been done, but even today people still hope to ignore it in the belief that it will pass them by. I'm certain there are some very powerful people resistant to spend money on change because they know they will be dead by the time the consequences hit anyway.

Climate change exists. It always has. Since the beginning of time. Do we have an effect on it? Most likely. Are we the entire cause of it? Most certainly not. Everyone stop arguing, neither side is 100% right.

Sgygus:You know what happens when the ice completely melts in your drink?

The level stays the same. Unfortunately, in this case, the ice melting replaces the white ice (high albedo) with dark water (low albedo), leading to more heat being absorbed, leading to a rise in water temps, melting more ice, etc.

Global warming is nothing new. At one time Minnesota & the Dakota were a tropical forest, and other times covered in a mile thick ice sheet. The science guys have geologic proof of both. But the greenhouse gas effect is nothing more than man's arrogance, "we are so powerful we can change climate". Sorry science guys, the earth & sun are way better at climate change than you can ever hope to be.

And to the folks in Minn & the Dakotas, get ready for much better temps. The days of your pee freezing before it hits the ground are nearly over.

pxlboy:ThrobblefootSpectre: HAMMERTOE: In short, as long as our political system is comprised of only two parties, one which whores itself out to greedy commercial interests, and the other that bases its political platform upon class envy and avoidance of personal responsibility at all levels, our offspring are totally screwed.

Not that I completely disagree - but that frames the problem entirely in terms of U.S. politics. We aren't the largest greenhouse emitter, Europe isn't far behind us, and the all largest and fastest growing emitters are neither democrat nor republican.

The Chinese?

"The Asians" would have been a more complete answer, but we'll give you half-points for picking the second most densely packed emerging country in that area. Three hundred million Americans couldn't match what India and China are doing to the atmosphere without deliberate, world-war-provoking effort.

Of course it should be noted that Conservatives have been saying this is not at all happening.If they are so completely wrong on such an important issue then how wrong are they on other important issues?

HAMMERTOE:As long as reproduction is a "right", with no corresponding "responsibilities", the problem will do nothing but get worse. As long as anybody with a functional set of genitals can pump out a "unit", and society has to collectively work incrementally harder to support that unit for them, the problem will do nothing but get worse. As long as it's beneficial to the Democrats to perpetuate this "lack of personal responsibility" social model, the problem will do nothing but get worse. As long as the Supreme Court keeps making the overwhelming majority of its decisions in favor of big businesses, the problem will do nothing but get worse.

WHOOOAH there tiger...

One of the main tenants of conservative idiotdom is that every time you fark you have to produce a kid.

As long as reproduction is a "right", with no corresponding "responsibilities", the problem will do nothing but get worse. As long as anybody with a functional set of genitals can pump out a "unit", and society has to collectively work incrementally harder to support that unit for them, the problem will do nothing but get worse. As long as it's beneficial to the Democrats to perpetuate this "lack of personal responsibility" social model, the problem will do nothing but get worse. As long as the Supreme Court keeps making the overwhelming majority of its decisions in favor of big businesses, the problem will do nothing but get worse.

In short, as long as our political system is comprised of only two parties, one which whores itself out to greedy commercial interests, and the other that bases its political platform upon class envy and avoidance of personal responsibility at all levels, our offspring are totally screwed.

MurphyMurphy:Kevin72: My issue is with the greenhouse gas theory. It does not explain global warming on other planets

Are you sure about that?

Can you disprove it?

Disprove that global warming is also happening on other planets? That's already been proven.And no I do not wish to disprove the greenhouse gas theory. But it has not been proven as the primary cause of global warming though it is popularly thought of as. But popularity is not proof.